Robert Griffin III

The moment he won the 2011 Heisman Trophy, Robert Griffin III cards and memorabilia had a long-term place in the hobby. However, most collectors are expecting a lot more from the dynamic quarterback as he easily became one of the poster boys of the 2012 NFL Draft Class.

Taken with the second pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, RG3 brings tremendous athleticism and a charismatic personality to the Washington Redskins. The combination of the team's passionate fan base, his college accolades and hobby prospectors have led to strong prices on all early Robert Griffin III cards.

Despite early injuries in his career, Griffin has shown he has what it takes to compete at this level and Redskins fans are anxious to get back to the teams winning ways.

Panini and Topps both used RG3 aggressively in the marketing of 2012 football products. Between the two companies, nearly 40 products contain an RG3 rookie card. Collectors have no shortage of options for Robert Griffin III rookie cards.

Top Robert Griffin III Rookie Cards

The cornerstone of an RG3 player collection, the National Treasure's vertical layout provides ample space for the card's design elements. This includes a clear player photo, over-sized two-color patch and on-card autograph. The card is serial numbered to 99.

A truly impressive piece of cardboard, the Playbook rookie features everything a collector could ask for in a high-end rookie card. Multiple player images and a large jersey swatch adorn the left side of the card while an on-card signature and additional jersey swatch grace the right side. The card is limited to just 149 total copies.

This is one of five, true rookie cards of RGIII within the Prominence set. This card features an over-sized, multi-color jersey patch and sticker autograph. All of the Prominence Rookie Cards are serial numbered to just 70 copies each. Other variations include, Helmet Patch, Team Patch and Letter Patch cards, each with a sticker autograph.

Robert Griffin III Autographed Memorabilia Buying Guide

Below you will find an example of what Robert Griffin III's authentic signature looks like. This can be used as a first point of reference for determining the legitimacy of autograph memorabilia, but is not a substitute for having your items authenticated by a well-respected professional autograph authentication company. Some of the trusted sources within the sports memorabilia market include the following companies: PSA, JSA, Steiner, Tristar and Mounted Memories. Click on any of the images below to view full size photos.

Robert Griffin III Cut Signature Exemplar

Robert Griffin III Key Signature Attributes: An authentic Robert Griffin III signature autograph will exhibit several distinguishing characteristics. Regardless of the type of item or when it was signed, look for the following signature features:

The signature is relatively consistent in character make-up with a right leaning signature.

The letter "R" consists of three lines,of the two parallel lines the one on the right forms what looks like a narrow capital letter "C"; instead of using the two parallel lines to connect them, a third line on about a 40 degree angle that extends past the letter to the left, is used.

The next character resembles a narrow looped cursive "l" with an extending tail.

The third character is the letter "f" which is discernible, it includes a ling horizontal line that flairs to the right with a smaller parallel line underneath it.

Ryan Cracknell | E-Mail Author | Ryan is a former member of The Cardboard Connection Writing Staff.
His collecting origins began with winter bike rides to the corner store, tossing a couple of quarters onto the counter and peddling home with a couple packs of O-Pee-Chee hockey in his pocket. Today, he continues to build sets, go after inserts with cool technologies, chase Montreal Expos and finish off his John Jaha master collection.